A Love Like Snow
by Railgunace
Summary: Isarn and Fanewynn were childhood friends before a violent and traumatic event forced them apart. Years later, Fanewynn returns to Skyrim carrying that day in her heart.


"Fane! No fair! You can't use your magic to find me!" A young boy wined as he crawled out from underneath a bush, his short blonde hair littered with twigs and leaves and his pants stained with dirt.

"I didn't use magic, you just suck at hiding." A little girl replied as she gently tussled the debris from his hair.

"I am a proud Nord Warrior!" He proclaimed, turning away from the Fane then scampering on top of a small stone ledge. Boastfully pointed his thumb to his chest and raised his voice. "The blood of this land is my own, my ancestors toiled and fought for Skyrim, the very land itself, the trees and soil and streams lend their strength to the mighty Nords! No one can overcome us on our homeland!"

The air was still as the boy finished his grandiose speech and the sounds of the city continued far off in the background, still he maintained his pose as though expecting thunderous applause. Fane looked back and forth for the large audience he seemed to be addressing, but they were the only ones in sight in the secluded back alley.

"Well, that's nice and all, but you still lost." She walked up to the wall, extending her hand for the boy. A bright smile light up his face, his brilliant blue eyes glistening in the sunlight, filled with boundless energy and blissful glee. He placed his hand into hers before jumping to the ground. Fane couldn't help but succumb to his warm smile, his happiness was contagious it seemed, as she began to grin just as widely as him. Suddenly, he slipped his fingers past hers, putting a small distance between them before turning back to her.

"Alright! Round two!" Somehow his smile was even more powerful than before, however, his smile quickly faded as confusion set in. The young girl's brilliant smile had been replaced with something else, something that sent chills up his spine. It was a look of pure terror.

"What do you think you're doing boy..." A low and grisly voice growled from behind him. He whipped around, his heart skipping a beat as the realization of who it was set in. A large man in thick fur armor stood behind him, he was a lumbering giant compared to the children, his arms and shoulders were massive and covered in scars. The powerful stench of alcohol clung to him. The boy quivered in terror, staggering backwards, placing himself deliberately between the man and his friend.

"F-Father… I-"

 _ **'SMACK!'**_ A powerful hand struck the boy's face, sending him straight to the floor, blood gushing from his mouth.

"Isarn!" Fane screamed. She was trembling, but she couldn't move. Paralyzed by fear, all she could do is watch as her friend lay on the cold stone with blood tickling from his lips.

"What do you think you're doing," Isarn's father knelt down beside him, gripping his collar in his massive fist. "with this high elf whore?!"

"P-please… don't hurt her… she didn't-" Before Isarn could speak another word, his father slammed him back into the ground, the impact made such a sickening sound as his small head bounced off the stone.

"You want to defend that bitch? That little Altmer whore! You gonna fuck her? Have little pups that look like pigs huh!? You want to defend that pig!? Huh!?"

"Stop…" Isarn could barely see, his vision was blurry and his head hurt so badly. He couldn't think straight. Still, he knew Fane was still there, he could just make out her high pitch screams. Tears clouded what little vision he had left. "Pleas… don't hurt-"

"What's that!" He shouted. "I can't hear you you filthy pig lover!" Again, he slammed his son down, even harder then before. Everything went black for the boy, his eyes shut and his body went limp. Still, his father continued, bashing his helpless victim over and over, ignoring the frantic screams of the little girl crying against the wall of the alley.

Fane's heart raced she felt horror, her stomach felt like it was about to turn inside out. She couldn't stop screaming, but he just kept hitting him, blood began to pool where his head made impact. Her heart was racing, her throat was hoarse, forcing her once piercing screams down to little more than strained sobs. she shut her eyes tight, but she could still hear his head, splashing into his own blood.

"Does that feel good!? Does it you little freak!? Well! I'm talking to you! Answer-"

"Stop!" With one last desperate cry, her terror became ferocity and a blinding blue light ignited from her hands, arcing across the ground, scorching the stone as it exploded outwards towards the man. An immense bolt of lighting stuck him, the sheer force blasting him off of his son, it tore through his flesh, searing him down to the bone. A powerful but pathetic scream quickly escaped from his throat before he mad impact against a wall, his body burnt and disfigured. Fane looked to her hands, residual arcs of electricity were still flying in different directs, but as her terror and panic were slowly replaced with shock, the bolts tapered off.

"Isarn… Isarn!" Without giving it another thought, she bolted over to her friend, she stumbled down to him, her body quaking uncontrollably. As carefully as she could, took hold of him, gently cradling his head, soaking her hands in his blood as she rested his head in her lap.

"Isarn… Isarn… Isarn..." She whispered over and over again as her tears fell onto his face.

"Fanewynn! Fanewynn!" A woman cried out. Fane knew who it was, she knew that voice, but she didn't move, she just kept stroking his head and softly rocking his limp body back and forth. The foot steps that belonged to the voice had come to a stop right behind her, followed by a stunned silence.

"Fanewynn… By the Eight, what happened here?" A young Altmer woman spoke softly, in shock by the scene before her. Still, Fanewynn didn't respond, she didn't even react, her only held the boy's body and softly whispered his name, over and over again.

"Fanewynn, sweetie… we have to go… we have to go now."

"Isarn… Isarn… Isarn…"

"That guards will be here any minute! We need to leave now!" She implored, looking frantically between the body that lay several meters away and the one cradled in the little girls lap.

"Fanewynn, I'm sorry, we need to go!" Without another word, she ripped the child out from under Isarn's body, causing it to fall hard back onto the floor. Fanewynn screamed and fought the woman, her vocal cords felt like they were bleeding, but she didn't care, she struggled with all the might her little body could still muster, but suddenly, an unbearable tiredness began to overcome her, her eyelids became heavy and her body became weak. She felt herself being thrown over the woman's back, hearing the a soft whisper and gentle glow from her hands.

"Hush child, we'll be safe soon."

Everything began to go dark, Fanewynn could just make out the figure of the her friend, getting smaller and smaller, one last word escaped her lips as she drifted off.

"Isarn..."


End file.
